Research Personnel

URSULA L. SHEPHERD
Assistant Professor, University Honors Program, University of New Mexico
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico

Ph.D. Biology. University of New Mexico, 1994
B.S. equivalent Biology. University of New Mexico, 1987
M.A. Social Sciences and Communication Arts. University of the Pacific, 1973
B.A. Social Sciences. University of the Pacific, 1966

Research interests and focus: Diversity of communities across gradients. What governs the diversity of species in a given location?

Publications

Shepherd, U., S. Brantley, and C. Tarleton.1 2002. Microarthropods on cryptobiotic crusts: species diversity patterns in piņon-juniper woodland, New Mexico. Journal of Arid Environments, in press.

Koontz1, T., U. Shepherd, and D. Marshall. 2001. The effects of climate change on Merriam's kangaroo rat, Dipodomys merriami. Journal of Arid Environments 49:581-591.

Shepherd, U. 2000. Creative Approaches to Teaching Science in an Honors Setting. National Collegiate Honors Council Forum 1:53-61.

Shepherd, U. and D. Kelt. 1999. Morphological Diversity of Mammal Communities at Deep Canyon, California. Journal of Biogeography 26: 843-855.

Shepherd, U. 1999. Biological Diversity of Tropical Australia: A Summer Field Experience for Honors Undergraduates. The National Honors Report 20 (2): 36-39.

Shepherd, U. 1998. Changes in Species Richness and Morphological Complexity across the North American latitudinal gradient. Journal of Biogeography 25:19-29.

Smith, Felisa A., H. Browning and U. Shepherd. 1998. The influence of climate change on body mass of woodrat (Neotoma) populations at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA Ecography 21: 140-148.

Mehlman, D., U. Shepherd and D. Kelt. 1995. Bootstrapping principal components analysis: Reflections on Jackson. Ecology. 76(2): 640-643.

Shepherd, Ursula & Margaret O'Brien. 1990. Nature Notes: A Companion to the Seasons. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Co.

SANDRA L. BRANTLEY
Postdoctoral Fellow, University Honors, University of New Mexico

Ph.D. Biology. University of New Mexico, 1997
B.A. Spanish. University of New Mexico, 1977

Additional Training:
Acarology Lab summer program, Ohio State University
   Introductory Week, August 1999
   3 Week Soil Mites Course, June 2000

Research Interests and focus: Ecology and taxonomy of soil and surface-active arthropods, particularly mites and spiders, in arid systems; structure of arthropod assemblages and broad distribution patterns; increased availability of information on arthropod biodiversity for use in testing ecological theory.

Publications

Shepherd, U., S. Brantley, and C. Tarleton.1 2002. Microarthropods on cryptobiotic crusts: species diversity patterns in piņon-juniper woodland, New Mexico. Journal of Arid Environments, in press.

Brantley, S.L., P.L. Ford, R.A. Fagerlund and D.C. Lightfoot. 2001. Surface-active arthropods of the southern Great Plains: species list and state and county records. Southwestern Naturalist 46:207-209.

Loftin, S.R., C.E. Bock, J.H. Bock and S.L. Brantley. 2000. Desert grasslands. Pages 53-96 in Jemison, R. and C. Raish, eds. Livestock management in the American Southwest: ecology, society, and economics. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

DeLay, L., D.M. Finch, S. Brantley, R. Fagerlund, M.D. Means and J.F. Kelly. 1999. Arthropods of native and exotic vegetation and their association with willow flycatchers and Wilson's warblers. Pages 216-221 in D.M. Finch, J.C. Whitney, J.F. Kelly and S.R. Loftin, technical coordinators. Rio Grande Ecosystems: linking land, water, and people. USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-7.

Brookhart, J.O. and S.L. Brantley. 1998. Solpugids (Arachnida) of the Sevilleta NWR, New Mexico: species richness and abundance 1989-1995. In press Southwestern Naturalist, v.45 (4) 2000.

Parmenter, R.R., S.L. Brantley, J.H. Brown C.S. Crawford, D.C. Lightfoot and T.L. Yates. 1995. Diversity of animal communities on southwestern rangelands: species patterns, habitat relationship and land management. Pages 50-71 in West, N.E., editor. Biodiversity of rangelands: natural resources and environmental issues. Utah State University. Logan, Utah.

Selected Presentations

Society for Conservation Biology 2000, presentation: Shepherd, U., S.L. Brantley and C.A. Tarleton. Microarthropods on cryptobiotic crusts: species diversity patterns and patch size effects.

American Arachnological Society/ International Arachnological Society 1998, presentation: Brookhart, J.O. and S.L. Brantley. Solpugids (Arachnida) of the Sevilleta NWR: regional influences on species composition.

Southwestern Association of Naturalists 1998, presentation: Brookhart, J.O. and S.L. Brantley. Solpugids (Arachnida) of the Sevilleta NWR: LTER data 1989-1995.

Ecological Society of America 1997, poster: Temporal patterns in surface-active arthropods at the Sevilleta LTER, New Mexico: associations with El Niño for three trophic groups.

American Arachnological Society 1996 presentation: El Nino events and changes in gnaphosid (Araneae) abundance: patterns from the Sevilleta LTER data 1989-1992.

Ecological Society of America 1995 presentation: Surface-active arthropod responses to ENSO events along an elevation gradient in central New Mexico: the first four year of pitfall trap data from the Sevilleta LTER.

1Denote student author

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